I almost quit.. but I would have let those who support me down
Councillor Razzaq fights for equality
“I t al ways s eems i mpossible until it’s done.”
Positioned above the door of his office are the words of South Africa’s first black president Nelson Mandela.
South Lanarkshire’s only BAME (black, asian or minority ethnic) councillor doesn’t have to look far for inspiration.
Originally from Edinburgh before moving to Lanarkshire at a young age, Mo Razzaq now represents the town he and his family have called home for nearly four decades.
The 52- year-old was first elected in a 2015 by-election by his Blantyre constituents.
“I was really proud ,” Mo said. “You’ve got to remember that I’m an ethnic minority in an area which is predominantly white.
“I wasn’t surprised because I’ve been in Blantyre for over 35 years and one thing that I can say about Blantyre is that the racism element is fairly low.
“The people are more supportive. They look at you as a person before they look at the colour and everything else.”
As a young boy at primary school, Mo got his first encounter with racism. A council van pulled over as if asking for directions before the driver spat on him, laughed and drove off.
Things might be sheltered in Blantyre, but the issue still persists even though, as Mo says, it can often be dismissed in Scotland.
As a minority councillor, people from minority backgrounds across the region have contacted Mo as they know he will understand them and he has always helped them to speak with their own local councillor to resolve any issues.
Just having a BAME councillor has already made a difference for both council employees and council policy.
Mo said: “The council, I think they are so used to doing it one way that they don’t see the other side and sometimes you are better off getting a view from a different angle to get the full picture.
“It’ s a positive for both because councillors also need to understand that they’ve got constituents out there who are marginalised.
“At the same time, the council need to understand there are issues within the council that haven’t been addressed for years.
“If they had been notified earlier on, they would probably have been sorted out, but the BAME community are very reluctant to come forward.
“When you look at the article online and see some of the replies, you can see why they don’t want to come forward.”
The article in question was about recruitment statistics for the council – an issue, along with the online abuse, that almost drove Mo to quit because he was “fed up” with the lack of change.
Mo added: “What happens with an ethnic minority councillor or politician is that you are put up to a higher standard.
“Anything at all gets put in and you get slaughtered. Absolutely slaughtered. No matter how innocent a comment you make online, they will jump on it.
Last year, I was seriously thinking about throwing in the towel. You’re under a lot of pressure and I was fed up – fed up with the pressure and fed up with the abuse more than anything else.
“This year, I think I broke the back of it. I said to myself, ‘I’m not going to be chased out and I’m not going to allow myself to react to these people’.”
One thing that has made Mo stick at it, is the support he’s received from his fellow councillors and not just those in his party.
He added: “I’ll be honest with you, the Labour group have been really good and really supportive. Monique McAdams [Labour], Mark McGeever and Fiona Dryburgh [ both Lib Dem] have been really good to speak to for support.
“When you feel like you want to walk away and you’ve had the support, you’re actually letting them down.
“Plus, I would be letting the minorities down and my constituents because I got voted in to do a job.”
The stats show a constant trend – if you’re white, your chances of getting a job with the council are higher.
That’s not because more white people apply for jobs or because more white people live in South Lanarkshire – it’s that the percentage of successful applicants from BAME backgrounds is lower.
Paul Manning, South Lanarkshire Council’s executive director of finance and corporate resources, said: “The council takes its responsibility on equalities very seriously, and we are confident that we treat all job applicants on their merits, regardless of gender, race, religious or any other factors.
“Are view of our workforce has confirmed that the number of BAME employees in our workforce is proportionate in terms of the local BAME population.
“We will soon present to elected members a more detailed analysis of BAME representation in our workforce, together with proposals on how we might work to further ensure our recruitment policies are fair and transparent.”
At the meeting where the figures were discussed, Mo was glad that Councillor Mark McGeever was allowed to speak first so he could compose his thoughts.
The pair have now drafted a motion and taken it to full council to create a new equity working group. It received unanimous support. One of their goals is to one day have a system where BAME applicants have an equal chance of getting a job with the council.
It may have seemed impossible to Mo when he thought about quitting, but the motion’s approval could be one step closer to getting it done.
I thought, ‘I’m not going to be chased out and I’m not going to allow myself to react to these people’...